Monday, June 13, 2011

Dr. Phil and the Britney Spears Train Wreck

Ok so this is old news, but I never knew the details till now...

Well anyone who knows me knows I love to research online and find answers. Sometimes I am unlucky, but it’s rare. This time I got some answers to a question that has been bothering me since it first happened. Why did Dr. Phil rush to Britney Spears bedside on January 5th, 2008? At the time, my newly formed opinions of Dr. Phil had not taken root. They were not even seeds of thought. But, I think this is where my first doubts and skepticism originated about the great and powerful Dr. Phil.

When you take a good look at what is behind Dr. Phil’s curtain, you will not see an altruistic humanitarian, but an egotistical, hypocritical, opportunist looking to line his overflowing pockets with even more money. That’s why he rushed to see Britney in the hospital, not to help her, but to help himself. Unfortunately, in his haste he neglected a few things and the whole escapade backfired in his face. There are several online sources that reported on this ongoing story and I have collected the facts here.

Let’s start with the fact that he lost/retired his license to practice in Texas in 2006 and has never been licensed in California. (You will remember, from my recent blog, that he was sanctioned in Texas due to a complaint filed by a patient who said he touched her inappropriately.) So, when he ran into the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to speak with Britney, a certified psychologist with the California Board of Psychology filed a complaint against him. The real psychologist said he believed Dr. Phil was practicing without a license, by speaking to Britney, which is a felony. The complaint also adding that Dr. Phil divulged information about her medical condition to the media which violated additional laws. The family felt Dr. Phil had violated their trust by declaring to ET "My meeting with Britney and some of her family members this morning in her room at Cedars leaves me convinced more than ever that she is in dire need of medical and psychological intervention ... " The family said they "were looking for support here, not to add to the trouble that is already upon them.”

A petition began to be circulated to remove his show from the air. This was started by the psychologist who originated the complaints against Dr. Phil. There was also a backlash for the entertainment community which caused him to have a problem booking popular guests for his 1,000th show. The show had to promise guests that they could promote their projects and charities and it would be considered a favor to “Oprah” because Harpo produces the show!

Well, it turns out that Dr. Phil is a wizard for getting out of deep trouble. Apparently, the charges will not stick because he did not charge Britney for his services. Somehow, they didn’t consider that what he was looking for was actually worth much more than a doctor’s call. An exclusive interview with Britney’s parents on the show perhaps? That never happened because the great and powerful Phil was bragging about his “intervention” with Britney.

Of course this was an embarrassment of epic proportions for Dr. Phil, but not enough to sink his ship. By January 18th he had issued an apology to Britney and her family for his visit and his press release about it. By February 1st, he was defending his actions as “non-exploitative.” Gee, that’s the very feeling I get each and every time I watch his show these days. His defense: “If you notice in that statement I said not a word, not one syllable about anything that took place while I was there. Nor will I ever. I don’t think that would be right. And I didn’t say anything in the statement that I haven’t said before and that anybody with common sense doesn’t know.” Anyone who watches the show and has common sense can clearly see what Dr. Phil is all about, that much I agree with.

So Dr. Phil dodged a bullet that time, but I’m sure there is a wealth of blog worthy information out there for me, I just have to do a little research. Stay tuned.

Read about the Real Dr. Phil in Sophia Dembling's book The Making Of Dr. Phil it has everything that Dr. Phil doesn't want you to know. Check out my blogs on this book for preview.